The Strategic Linguist Podcast

The Strategic Linguist
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Revealing how language shapes power, markets, and competitive advantage | Expert analysis from workplace dynamics to global strategy thestrategiclinguist.substack.com

  1. 2D AGO · BONUS

    Linguistics Unscripted: Episode 2

    Welcome to my second episode of Linguistic Unscripted where I go off script and discuss topics from my posts that didn’t quite fit on the page. Today, we’re talking about accents. I talk about my experiences in my phonetics and phonology classes, why I love accents and a defining moment in my teaching career teaching accent reduction at call centres in Sri Lanka. We get into some interesting consonents in the phonemic chart (see below). Lori does a fantastic job at recording how some of these sounds come together (it’s way more complicated than you’d think) as well as how phonemes, intonation and word stress creates accents. Meow Factor by Edith is the real expert here as a dialectologist - I hope she will forgive me for my aging knowledge! I use two of my favourite Bollywood actresses to explain how code switching works, how you’re often made to choose who you are depending on who you’re talking to - and how much criticism comes with it. Both beautiful, famous women, have been harassed and hounded online for their accents. Speakers face the authenticity paradox: maintain your accent and risk professional marginalisation, or modify it and face accusations of inauthenticity, of abandoning your roots, of “talking white” or “putting on airs.” For many, there is no comfortable middle ground, only a series of calculated choices about which version of yourself to present in which context, knowing that each choice carries consequences for how you’re perceived both professionally and within your own community. Videos about Priyanka Chopra’s accent in the media Videos about Deepika Pudokone’s accent in the media ^^ Fahah Khan, the director for Deepika’s debut in Om Shanti Om explaing in an interview how she didn’t like Deepika’s south Indian accent and listened to her audition tape with the sound off because she was “disturbed” by her voice 😳 These complexities reveal that accent isn’t simply something speakers “have” - it’s something they perform, negotiate, and strategically deploy. The question isn’t whether people can or should change their accents. The question is why some accents require changing in the first place, and what it costs individuals to constantly navigate between linguistic authenticity and professional acceptance. The burden of adaptation falls disproportionately on those whose voices already carry less institutional power, creating yet another invisible tax on belonging. With AI, there is a way for us to include identity and language and accents without appropriating or flattening language to reduce it to something that is “accessible” in some ways but aligned to the majority in its essence. For me, language is about expressing yourself, in the ways you can preserve who you are, regardless of how you sound what you say and where youre from. These two use cases show how accents are so fluid, misunderstood but above all - apart of who we are. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thestrategiclinguist.substack.com

    20 min

  2. FEB 10

    The Performance of Online Authority: How Language Creates Power in Digital Spaces

    A note before we begin: This piece examines how linguistic authority operates in online platforms, with particular focus on Substack as a case study. It draws on sociolinguistic research into computer-mediated communication, stance, and algorithmic systems. The analysis focuses on specific patterns rather than offering comprehensive coverage of all digital linguistic phenomena. I also want to make clear (because words matter) that there is an important distinction and difference between authority - what I talk about in this series - and trust. Building trust online is a very different piece to what is here. Authority may command attention; trust has to be earned. When you publish on Substack, your authority doesn’t come from your voice, your office, or the institution listed on your business card. There’s no accent to mark your class background, no pitch to signal your gender, no physical presence to command attention. Yet somehow, certain writers dominate the conversation while others remain invisible, regardless of the quality of their ideas. Online, authority gets constructed through language choices, platform mechanics, and algorithmic systems that amplify some voices while silencing others. The performance of credibility has replaced the presumption of authority, and the rules of this performance favor particular linguistic styles while marginalising others. If accent marks the body in offline interaction, online language marks position, and on platforms like Substack, where writers compete for attention in an oversaturated information economy, understanding how linguistic authority operates has never been more critical. It’s also not so straight-forward, as we’ll see. There’s a lot of “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” moments that come with navigating authentic communication online where we try to be the same person IRL as we do online. Digital platforms haven't eliminated hierarchies of voice and authority, they've relocated them from embodied markers (like accent, institutional position) to linguistic performance and algorithmic reward systems. Until we confront how these systems privilege particular voices, we'll keep replicating offline hierarchies in digital spaces with new mechanisms and justifications. From Embodied to Discursive Authority (3.42) How Substack’s Design Shapes Authority (15.08) Stance, Voice, and the Performance of Credibility (20.46) Algorithms as Linguistic Gatekeepers (23.51) Who Gets Heard—and Who Doesn’t (26.43) Beyond Substack: Patterns Across Platforms (29.42) The Substack Specific: What Makes This Platform Different (32.01) What This Means for Writers (and Readers) (35.30) The Question of Confidence (38.07) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thestrategiclinguist.substack.com

    41 min

  3. FEB 3

    From Language Policy to Algorithmic Design: Linguistic Exclusion and AI Development

    A note before we begin: This piece draws on both academic research and lived experience. My graduate thesis on linguistic identity in post-civil war Sri Lanka forms the foundation of this analysis. I also grew up through Sri Lanka’s civil war (1983-2009) and taught English across multiple contexts in Colombo, in private language schools, government institutions, and multinational companies. This article focuses on specific use cases that illuminate broader patterns in language policy and AI development. It’s not intended as a comprehensive overview of the field or even the conflict, but rather as a detailed case study showing how historical patterns of linguistic exclusion can repeat themselves in new technological contexts. In 1956, Sri Lanka made a choice that would define its post-colonial future. The Sinhala Only Act declared Sinhala the sole official language of the newly independent nation, marginalising about 18% of the population who spoke Tamil. What began as language policy evolved into systematic discrimination, fuelling ethnic tensions that exploded into a brutal civil war lasting from 1983 to 2009. 100,000s of people died, many more displaced. The economy collapsed. A nation with enormous potential became a cautionary tale about the dangers of linguistic exclusion. Today, as artificial intelligence reshapes how humans interact with technology and each other, Sri Lanka’s history offers an urgent warning: linguistic nationalism doesn’t disappear - it adapts, and when it resurfaces in the architecture of AI systems, the consequences may be even more far-reaching than in the analog age. Understanding Language Policy: When Politics Shapes Communication (2.47) The People of Sri Lanka: A Shared Island (7.15) Why Language Matters: The Theory of Linguistic Identity (8.33) The Swabasha Movement and Post-Colonial Language Policy (10.22) From Language Policy to Civil War (15.17) Enter SinLLaMa: History in Digital Form (19.28) The Pattern That Repeats (22.56) What Multilingual AI Could Look Like (24.52) The Global Stakes (28.00) The Choice Ahead (30.41) Sri Lanka’s history offers the warning. The question is whether anyone is listening. Further reading Canagarajah, A. S. (Ed.). (2015). Reclaiming the local in language policy and practice. Routledge. Cooper, R. L. (1989). Language planning and social change. Cambridge University Press. Eisenlohr , Patrick . (2006). NEIL DEVOTTA, Blowback: Linguistic nationalism, institutional decay, and ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. Language in Society. 35. 747 - 750. 10.1017/S0047404506260342. Herath, Sreemali. (2015). Language policy, ethnic tensions and linguistic rights in post war Sri Lanka. Language Policy. 14. 10.1007/s10993-014-9339-6. Kearney, Robert N. “Language and the Rise of Tamil Separatism in Sri Lanka.” Asian Survey, vol. 18, no. 5, 1978, pp. 521–34. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2643464. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026. Kloss, H. (1966). Types of multilingual communities: A discussion of ten variables. Sociological Inquiry, 36(2), 135-145. Pennycook, A. (1998). English and the Discourses of Colonialism. New York: Routledge. Perera, N., Khodos, I. Linguistic reconciliation in contexts of conflict: Tamil language learning in Sri Lanka. Lang Policy 24, 345–371 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10993-024-09716-4 Philipson, R. (1997). Realities and Myths of Linguistic Imperialism. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development , 18 (3), 238-248. Pool, Jonathan (1979) Language planning and identity planning. International Journal of the Sociology of Language 1979.20: 5-22. Ricento, T. (2000). Historical and theoretical perspectives in language policy and planning. Journal of sociolinguistics, 4(2), 196-213. Wickramasuriya, S. (2005). The present socio-economic-political culture & the myth of English as an access to social equality in post-colonial Sri Lanka. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thestrategiclinguist.substack.com

    37 min

  4. JAN 27

    The Invisible Hierarchy: How Voice and Accent Shape Identity and Authority

    A quick note before we begin: the study of voice, accent, and identity is vast and complex, encompassing decades of research across sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, and related fields. This article offers a curated exploration focused on specific use cases rather than a comprehensive audit of the field. Many important perspectives and dimensions of this topic remain beyond the scope of this piece. Every time we speak, we communicate far more than our words. Our voices carry social information - about our background, our education, even our supposed competence. They also communicate who we are, or at least who listeners perceive us to be. Research in sociolinguistics reveals that listeners make snap judgements about speakers based on vocal characteristics like pitch, register, and accent, often within seconds of hearing someone speak. These judgements can profoundly impact professional opportunities, perceived credibility, and social mobility. The Vocal Fry Paradox (2.28) The Pitch Problem: High Voices and Perceived Incompetence (5.23) The Elizabeth Holmes Case Study: Performing Authority Through Voice (9.28) British Accents and the Prestige Paradox (11.35) Theoretical Frameworks: Understanding the Power of Voice and Identity (17.25) The Real-World Stakes (20.57) Solidarity, Code-Switching, and the Complexity of Linguistic Identity (26.04) Toward Linguistic Justice (29.39) In the next piece in this series, we’ll examine linguistic identity in contexts of conflict and post-conflict reconstruction, exploring how language becomes a site of political struggle and identity negotiation. Later, we’ll turn to how digital communication reshapes linguistic identity and creates new forms of belonging and exclusion in online spaces. This post includes other works from The Strategic Linguistic in power, accent and identity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thestrategiclinguist.substack.com

    34 min

  5. JAN 20

    You Use Language Every Day. Here's Why That Doesn't Make You a Linguist

    You speak English every day. You’ve been doing it since you were a toddler. You text, you chat, you argue about the Oxford comma. So naturally, you might think: How complicated can the study of language really be? This assumption is the field’s biggest problem. The Identity Crisis The Illusion of Expertise Seeing Systems Where Others See “Just Talk” The Invisible Infrastructure Why Linguistics Remains Under the Radar What Linguistics Gives You That Other Fields Don’t Why This Actually Matters The Power You’re Holding This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thestrategiclinguist.substack.com

    17 min

  6. JAN 13

    Linguistics Unscripted: Episode 1

    Welcome to the first episode of Linguistics Unscripted - my little corner of Substack where I can talk about linguistics, reference my work and others that inspire me and discuss some of the important topics. In this episode, I discuss my most read and listened to post in 2025… The Prompt Engineering Myth What I talk about in this episode: * Why I’m starting this audio series (shoutout to Jen Benford’s Notes on staying true to your values and what you enjoy) * How this post relates to something I wrote back in the summer on writing skills and AI * The importance of writing skills when it comes to prompting AI, particularly in the workplace as we move in and out of writing forms * Why writing about AI was terrifying for me when I first started writing, and why voices like Slow AI , SheWritesAI, Code Like A Girl are crucial to allow more people to talk about AI * What speech communities have to do with the narrative of AI on Substack * Getting into the post - why prompting doesn’t have to be as complicated as everyone makes it out to be and why there is asymmetry built into instruction and how it blurs the lines between human-to-human and human-to-computer interaction * Why I’m dedicating this first episode to Kanan Gill 🥰 * What’s next in this line of thinking - The Grammar of the Prompt This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thestrategiclinguist.substack.com

    28 min

  7. 12/30/2025

    The Linguistics of Infertility: How Words Shape How We Feel About What Our Bodies Can Do

    DISCLAIMER: this is not intended to be an all-encompassing post on the topic of healthcare and the fertility industry. I am focusing on a few key areas and the areas of language that have made the most impact to me. The Industry’s Linguistic Playbook When Uncertainty Becomes Self-Blame The Friend Who Cracked the Code: Influencer Language and the Illusion of Secrets The Language Gap: When Medical Discourse Keeps You Subordinate The Performance of Normal: Hiding Grief at Work The Linguistic Confession You’re not alone. There are some beautiful, wonderful voices out there that don’t make you feel awful so I’m including those voices that have helped quiet the noise around me - voices that don’t claim to know how you’re feeling, what you need or what you’re missing. They’re voices who know the pain and help you keep space for yourself. They’ve been harder to find: 🇬🇧 Based in the UK, we have * Hannah Pearn’s podcast, brilliantly named Don’t Tell Me To Relax and Instagram are light, captures a vibe that I always need and has a great community - I’ve sent her podcast to a lot of people. I just wish I was in the UK to go to her acupuncture clinic. * Helen Davenport-Peace on Substack but also has some great words-of-wisdom for Instagram that I’m eternally grateful for. I feel like she’s heard the same things and had the same reactions - I love that she’s always looking at language. 🇦🇺 Based in Australia, Katie Dunn’s Afterglow has been refreshing content on Substack. Katie started writing and building a positive community around IVF and plan A not working out. She also felt the silence of this narrative in the broader fertility landscape was/is deafening, looking for others and hardly finding any. My favourite articles of hers below: This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thestrategiclinguist.substack.com

    33 min
  8. When Gaslighting Becomes the Record: How Power Rewrites What Actually Happened

    12/23/2025

    When Gaslighting Becomes the Record: How Power Rewrites What Actually Happened

    This piece examined how hierarchical power amplifies effectiveness. Linguistic capital determines who deploys reality-contradicting claims with minimal cost. Definitional authority determines whose version becomes organisational truth. Documentation often serves gaslighters rather than protecting targets. How The Patterns Change With Power The Compounding Effect Why “Speaking Up” Advice Fails Counter-Strategies That Work Within Constraints Recognising Patterns So You Don’t Internalise Them Protecting Your Sense of Reality Knowing When to Document vs. Disengage vs. Exit Understanding What You Can and Can’t Control The Metacognitive Shift When Organisations Lose Signal What This Series Revealed Part 1 examined linguistic structures: speech acts with double direction of fit, three types of assertives, face-threatening acts disguised as concern, anti-performatives. We learned why there’s no checklist (welp) - gaslighting mimics cooperative communication while violating it. Part 2 showed how AI systems reproduce these patterns through training on human discourse, creating direct gaslighting and discourse reproduction. Automated systems scale the linguistic patterns that destabilise reality. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thestrategiclinguist.substack.com

    26 min
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Revealing how language shapes power, markets, and competitive advantage | Expert analysis from workplace dynamics to global strategy thestrategiclinguist.substack.com

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